Carissa Klopoushak has made a name for herself as a curious, creative, and versatile violinist.  A charismatic and engaging performer, Carissa's playing has been described as the complete package of sensitive musicianship and effortless technique.  Based in Ottawa, Carissa is a proud member of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Ironwood Quartet.  A laureate of the 2018 Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank Competition, Carissa performs on the 1851 Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin (Maggini model).  Her debut recording with Philip Chiu, SOUNDWORLDS, was released in November 2016.

Carissa considers all of Canada to be her home. She has toured the country extensively, performing recitals for Debut Atlantic and as the winner of the 2009 Eckhardt-Grammatté National Music Competition with Canadian pianist Philip Chiu.  A passionate collaborator, Carissa has been featured at Ottawa Chamberfest, Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music, Music & Beyond, Bravo! Niagara, and Music by the Sea.  She spent much of 2014 performing with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, whom she joined for a series of tours and recordings, including a residency at The Banff Centre.

Carissa grew up in the beautiful prairie city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Still active in the prairie music scene today, Carissa is an Artistic Director of the Ritornello Chamber Music Festival, an annual event that aims to provide Saskatchewan audiences the opportunity to hear innovative concerts performed by young, engaging Canadian musicians who are currently pursuing professional careers across the country and around the globe.

Carissa is the lead singer and violinist in the Ukrainian band Тут і Там (pronounced Toot ee Tahm). Established in 2003, the band has released four albums, performed at every major Ukrainian festival across Canada, in Sydney, Australia, and recently toured Ukraine, playing major festivals and small pubs.

Carissa holds a doctorate in violin performance from McGill University.  Her dissertation focuses on the little-known violin repertoire by Ukrainian composers.  When not performing, rehearsing, or traveling, Carissa can be found expanding her love of coffee in some little café, somewhere…

Read more about her discography and projects.
Represented by Latitude 45 Arts

Hailed by Michael Tilson Thomas as "an excellent violinist," Tomas Cotik was a first-prize winner at the National Broadcast Music Competition in his native Argentina in 1997, and the winner of the Government of Canada Award for 2003-2005. An avid recording artist, Dr. Cotik is currently involved in more than a fourteen CD recordings for Naxos and Centaur Records, which have received over a hundred reviews and the highest praise from some of the best-known publications such as Fanfare, American Record Guide, Downbeat, and MusicWeb International. These recordings include Schubert’s complete works for violin and piano (nominated as recording of the year by Musicweb International), an album with Cotik’s own arrangements of music by Piazzolla (described by the critics as “among the very best”), a solo CD that includes a world premiere recording of original works by Franz Schubert and an upcoming release of Mozart’s 16 sonatas on a 5 CD set. He has worked extensively with producers such as Blanton Alspaugh and Judith Sherman and also produced four recordings himself. Cotik has performed with several internationally prominent conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, Roberto Abbado, Yakov Kreizberg, Marin Alsop, Stephan Deneve, Roger Norrington, and Robert Spano in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall.

Tomas Cotik has performed hundreds of recitals and chamber music concerts across the globe.  Since 2011, he is a member the Cotik/Lin duo. He was also a member of the acclaimed Amernet, Delray, and Harrington string quartets. He was a rotating concertmaster with the New World Symphony and a leader with various other orchestras in the United States and abroad.

Tomas Cotik earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Miami. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Freiburg University of Music in Germany and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. He has worked closely with artists such as Joseph Kalichstein, Franklin Cohen and members of the Cleveland, Miami, Pro Arte, Vogler, Vermeer, Tokyo and Endellion string quartets.

Committed to passing on his passion for music, Dr. Tomas Cotik was appointed Assistant Professor of Violin at Portland State University in 2016. He previously taught at West Texas A&M University, Florida International University, and at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.


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